The introduction to this story – begins with 7:35 “But wisdom is shown to be right by the lives of those who follow it.”

 Jesus saw the many sins of this sexually immoral woman who washed and anointed his feet (v.47) but he forgave them all and in return – she demonstrated “much love” to Jesus.

 Like the men sitting around the table – I’m amazed at Jesus – He was and is the forgiver of sins.  At the end of story Jesus says to her “your FAITH has saved you; go in peace.”   We know that faith without action is dead – she responded to God’s grace and acted upon her beliefs and received the favor and (shalom) peace of God.   

 The lesson I see here is not just the forgiving of sins – (God is love, he loves us & we can’t earn it, it’s absolutely by His grace) – however, it is interesting how this woman’s faith was PROVED.  Simply receiving the forgiveness of sins  was a great starting place – but she went further and exercised wisdom in that she came to thank Jesus and show her gratitude despite her own reputation and public image.

 This woman received forgiveness, acted in faith & gratitude and began to grow in wisdom. How much more should we do the same.

Pursue God’s wisdom

KEY (Jdg 17:6 & 21:25):    In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.

 Start of Judges:  HEREM / IDOLATRY

End of Book:          DOMESTIC IDOLATRY/ HEREM on Benjamin

 THE INEVITABILITY OF JUDGMENT (key theme of Judges)

• King Adoni-Bezek 1:5-7 – 70 Thumb-less and Toe-less kings, plus = 71
• King Adoni said, “70 kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather scraps under my table, as I have done, so God has repaid me.’ The Golden Rule “What you want others to do to you, do to them”
• Sin against others ultimately comes back upon ourselves

 2.       THE CYCLIC PATTERN – PARTIAL OBEDIENCE 1:21,27, 29, 30, 31/  Num 33:55/ Jdgs 2:2 à 

“For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed My command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”

 Does that remind of the condition we are in?

• We obey, we partially disobey, we disobey, we worship with all our heart, we worship half heartedly, we worship with an unclean heart or corruptly, we suffer the consequences, we receive God’s mercy and kindness, we are back to disobedience, judgment and on and on and on…. CYCLE OF SIN 
• Break the cycle of your bad habits, sins, laziness, rebellious nature, irresponsibility! selfishness! lukewarm attitude!

 THE JUDGES:

• There were 13 judges or also called deliverers. (Not necessarily judges in the legal sense, rather military)
• The judgeships may not be consecutively. Some were most probably contemporaneous.

 OTHNIEL – the Ideal Judge  (1/6 major judge)

• –         8 years of oppression by King Cushan Rishathaim from Aram Naharaim (upper Mesopotamia)
• –         Cushan = Dark  & Rishathaim = Doubly wicked

 EHUD   (2/6 major judge)

• –         Oppressor: EGLON from Moab;  EGLE= Calf / ON = “my little affectionate cow”
• –         Assassination, ‘terrorist style’ by  ‘18 inch dagger’
• –         Humor: ‘blade came out of his back’ – his excrement pooped out (hence, the smell & his guards thought he was on the toilet). Irony: this fat cow oppressed Israel 18 years.

 DEBORAH & BARAK (& JAEL) [3/6]

• –         Introduction of PAIRS: Jabin & General Sisera (very evil) & Deborah (a prophetess) & General Barak
• –         JAEL (a non-Israelite) saves Israel killing General Sisera using a tent peg and hammer
• –         Only one of two women in the bible:    “Most blessed of all  women”

 SHAMGAR (minor judge 1/6)

–         Son of Anath (goddess of love & war) Not a semitic name & unlikely to be an Israelite. Possible mercenaries from Egypt (Anath). Oxgoad: A stick with a steel tip used on oxen.

 GIDEON  & ABIMELECH  [4/6 Major judge]

• Gideon from a timid man to a mighty warrior (He is frightened 6:27 but becomes fearless in the power of the Spirit 6:34)
• Reduction of army from 30,000 to 300 men -Israel cannot claim it won b/cos of its own strength/ability.
• In the Midianite camp – “A Sword for the Lord and Gideon!”  is a phrase reserved for kings
• Absence of God in Judges 8  - Gideon chases these Midianites east out of Personal Revenge for what they did to his brothers.  God does not command Gideon to do this!  Gideon is working on his own & not with God

 GIDEON’s HYPOCRISY

• “I will not rule over you nor my son but give one earring each”
•  Earrings for an Ephod =  figure of speech for an IDOL. All Israelite prostituted themselves by worshipping it.
•  Hence, spiritual pride & materialistic greed. Even religious things can become a snare. (Do not forget 1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:2 – Covetousness).
•  Gideon names his son Abimelech  - Abi: ‘My father’  +  Melech: ‘is king’
• He had 70 sons (wives & concubines) living like a king

ABIMELECH

•  Abimelech’s mother was a concubine of Gideon (aka Jerub-Baal 8:35). He stirred up a support from his mother’s side & he killed 70 of his half brothers (Gideon’s sons).
• His half brother Jotham escaped from him and placed a prophetic curse on Abimelech and the people of Shechem – ‘Thorn bush will rule over us’: (Heb. Little prickly weed cannot offer shade) à a joke
•  A woman drops a millstone on Abimelech & He asks his armorbearer to kill him so it can’t be said a woman killed him.  He was not faithful to his own father- He has no integrity – His armour bearer did not understand his role
•  Hence, God eventually works justice: God uses wickedness and wickedness to go after it self

• TOLA & JAIR (minor judges 3/6)

–         JAIR of GILEAD – 30 sons who rode on 30 donkeys – 30 sons not by one woman & living as a type of kings. Control 30 towns – Not saving anybody from anything, he is just building a kingdom

 JEPHTHATH [major judge 5/6]

 –         Mother was a prostitute

–         He compares YHVH to Chemosh (11:23)

• People thought gods were limited to their geographic area: VERY WRONG!
• Chemosh is the god of Moab (not Ammon); Also, Duet 2:19 God has given the land to the Ammonites (not Chemosh).  Jeph is theologically WRONG!!!

–         Jephthath’s Vow – a warning about costly vows

• “Whatever comes out of my house I will sacrifice as a burnt offering (olah)”
• It’s manipulative, he’s trying to guarantee victory.
• His daughter came out of his house first. God did not accept human sacrifices. (NB:Lev 27 redeeming a vow)

–         Rich irony: Jeph saves Israel from AMMONITES who performed child sacrifices, incinerate infants and then he does the same to his own daughter.

IBZAN, ELON AND ABDON [last 3 minor judges 6/6]  - Abdon: 40 sons + 70 donkeys – built their POWERBASE.

 SAMSON [6/6] (the worst major judge)

 His Birth: Double Theophany: angel appears twice! & Samson = SHEMESH-ON  (Sun God)  a pagan name!

• Oppressors: Philistines – Boat people from the Aegean
• Tremendously Gifted & immense opportunities given to Samson
• 3  sad love affairs – spoilt brat 14:1, 7, 20; 16:1,4 (Girls were all Philistines NB: Exo.34:12-17; Deut.7:3-6)
  • The importance of EYES
• Samson is going to Timnah and sees a woman.  Get her for me as a wife! She is right “IN MY EYES!!!” He is driven by his SIGHT. (14:1)
•  At the end, his eyes are gouged out and he is blind!
• How sad he ended up in total darkness in a prison house 16:21

Likewise: Israel is doing what is wrong in God’s eyes & lost their VISION to be a nation of priests under God’s covenant & are spiritually BLIND!

SAMSON’S SINS

•  Nazarite’s are not allowed to go near dead things (the lion).
• He murders 30 men to pay off his personal debt
• Catching foxes to burn fields: (Exo.22:6 – if fire breaks out &burns another field must make restitution)

–         15:11 – I’m merely doing to them what they did to me: SIN OF REVENGE

• 3 broken Nazarite vows

1. No dead things – Fresh jawbone of a donkey
2. No alcohol -Most Philistine sites have lots of beer jars; he probably drank.
3. No hair cuts – Tells Delilah secret to his power is in his hair

•  He sleeps with a prostitute at Timnah (16:1) & escapes by tearing out the gates and carries them about 20 miles!
• Falls in love with Delilah (a philistine & not married)

–         Captured the 4^th time, made blind; He burned their grain, now he is grinding their grain.

• Samson is self centered & narcissistic – It’s the beginning of the salvation of Israel.

 DOUBLE CONCLUSION

 –         A :  In those days there was no king and every man did what was right in his own eyes (17:6)

• B: In those days there was no king… (18:1)
• B: In those days there was no king…. (19:1)

–         A: In those days there was no king… every man did what was right in his own eyes (21:25)

ISRAEL HAD A KING (YAHWEH)

• Physically there was no king but they did not acknowledge the LORD as their spiritual king
• Israel was doing what was right in his own eyes (evil in the eyes of the LORD) – declining morality

RELIGIOUS DECLENSION (DECLINE) 17-18 – THE IDOLATRY OF MICAH

• EVERYTHING IS WRONG WITH THIS STORY!!!
• MICAH means WHO IS LIKE YAHWEH – Steals money from his mother; she puts magical curse on it; He confesses; she announces a blessing to countermand the curse; She dedicates part of the silver to the LORD and then makes an IDOL.
• This man has his own house shrine, makes his son priest, appoints a Levite as his personal household priest because he thinks that this will assure him of prosperity 17:12-13. The Levite shouldn’t be there because not a city of refuge, the priest becomes equally self-seeking 18:19 – The same spirit of rebellion! As a Levite he should have opposed the suggestion of image worship 18:20. No deep religious conviction.

 MORAL DEGRADATION – LUST & VIOLENCE (Judges 19)

 LEVITE & HIS CONCUBINE

•  the wife’s child would inherit but concubines child would not inherit anything. So she flees him and goes to Bethlehem. The Levite form Ephraim comes down to Bethlehem after his concubine. 
• They go on to GIBEAH (town of Benjamites) and stay the night at an old man’s house.
•  Men of the city come demanding sex with the Levite. Old man offers the concubine & daughter to the men.
•   (THIS IS WRONG!!! You never offer anyone’s wife to a horde at the door!)
•  The Levite pushes his concubine out to the horde to be raped & abused and he goes to sleep.
•  In the morning he steps over her and finds her collapsed at the door. 
•   He gets home and then cuts her up. Whether he killed her or not by knife – he is guilty as he pushed her out the door! He sends her body parts all over Israel.

• TRIBAL (Civil) WAR  [Judges 20-21]
• When the Benjamites will not hand over the men responsible for the atrocity 20:13.
•  IRONY:  this Levite is able to get all Israel to come together and respond.
• This guy has sacrificed his concubine and now is willing to sacrifice the sons of Israel in war!
• –         PROBLEM: In the mouths of TWO WITNESSES…. Let a matter be established.
• –         Leads to a major civil war against the smallest tribe Benjamin.
• –         The Benjamites are wiped out leaving only 600. Both sides suffer losses; none are walking rightly before God; They have wiped out all the women.
• –         They made a rash VOW – not one of us will give his daughter to a Benjamite (yet they had given their daughters to Canaanites – DISOBEDIENCE!)
• –         Another rash vow in v.5 they attack Jabesh-GILEAD except for 400 virgins and hand them over to the Benjamites. 200 more with no wives: “Seize a wife as they rush out”
• –         ARE the ELDERS any better tan the horde at the door???

CONCLUDING WARNING:

 Judges deals with intense seriousness of ungodliness, selfishness and wilful behaviour, and the consequent humiliation and despair. No Christian can read this book without realising how important it is to maintain a close communion with the God who loves his people and demands and deserves their total allegiance.  Jesus must be the LORD over every part of our lives! 

Being clothed with Christ –  just like the clothes that we wear e.g.  a coat or jacket – it’s the clothes that people first see when they look at us – they form their first impressions by what we are wearing… In the same way – when people meet us and get to know our character and personality – are the following attributes readily evident?   (In my case I unfortunately not) – yet we are to be clothed with Christ – in other words – in covenantal terminology – we are to have the IDENTITY of CHRIST and that character & attributes of Christ must BE PUT ON BY US!  Our identity is supposed to be hidden with Christ

If we were to meet Jesus – these are the things we would readily notice about him:

• Tender hearted mercy
• kindness
• humility
• gentleness
• patience
• (Above all LOVE)

 Seems like a difficult ask – as many of us do not possess these attributes readily and I think Paul understood that we are all under construction that’s why in the very next verse he says v.13 “you must allowances for each other’s faults and forgive the person who offends you.”  So Paul acknowledges that we have FAULTS and that we should make allowances accordingly, putting on love – which is the most important piece of clothing as it binds us all together in perfect harmony.

I have seen many make over TV shows where the fashion consultants will come to wardrobe of the client and advise the person to throw out certain (if not all) of outdated, unfashionable or poor fitting clothes.   The majority of the time the client is so used to their old favourite clothes that they resist or reject the advice of the fashion consultants – obviously to the detriment of their own image!   Likewise the Holy Spirit, much like those fashion consultants, comes to convict us of sin and to sanctify us in order to produce his fruits in our lives. We like the obstinate fashion client, in need of a make over, we make all sorts of excuses in order to resist the image of Christ.

So, what about those who never apologise to us and refuse to change? We should forgive them and love them.  God will do the judging – as ‘He gives grace to the humble but resists the proud.’  Those who refuse to humble themselves and consider themselves better than others will be in danger of coming up against God (which is not a wise place to be at any time).

2010 03 21 the Covenant
• Colossians 2:6 -  so just as you received Christ Jesus as lord, continue to live in him, ROOTED and BUILT UP IN Him, strengthened in the FAITH as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness.
• Andrew Murray: Two Covenants

To many a man, who has never thought much of the Covenant, a true and living faith in it would mean the transformation of his whole life. The full knowledge of what God wants to do for him; the assurance that it will be done by an Almighty Power; the being drawn to God Himself in personal surrender, and dependence, and waiting to have it done; all this would make the Covenant the very gate of heaven.

Why study the Covenants?

1. Deeper understanding of the Bible
2. Everything God does is based on covenant
3. Better Understanding of the New Covenant
4. Assurance, Freedom, Power
5. Attitude of Gratitude & Worship
6. Accountability & responsibility
7. Understand missing pieces of the puzzle
8. YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!!!

• Do you know the love
  story of God?
  Do you know the action-sci- fact
  ‘blockbuster’ story of God?

Did you know…

• God loves us & wants to bless us.
• To prove it  he has taken the initiative to enter into an eternal covenant of love with us.
• This covenant of love is available to all who will enter it.

The Covenant Story

• Covenant in Hebrew means:  BERIT – which is a treaty between two parties
• Greek: Diatheke

–        more than a promise, more than contract…

–        Has obligations on both sides

2 types of covenants:

1. Parity Treaty - a voluntary agreement between equals (e.g. David & Jonathan 1 Sam 18:3)

2. Suzerainty Treaty - treaties of loyalty between a great king and a lesser king (his vassal)

–        Superior/Inferior relationship

                God’s Covenant with Abram

• God initiated & established this treaty with Abram.
• Gen. 15:6 - Abram believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.

What did Abram believe God for?

1.  Progeny (Descendants/ Children)
2.  Divine Human relationships
3.  Land (Nation)

• We are part of this covenant!
• Gal. 3:29 -   if you belong to Christ , then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to promise.

MAKING A COVENANT IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST:

1. Exchange of Coat/Robe  – 1 Sam 18:1-4

• Taking on each other’s identity
• Two become one – end of independent living. e.g.Marriage
• Gal.3:26-27

–        All of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

2. Exchange of belt & weapons

• 1 Sam. 18:1-4
• Exchange of strength, support & protection
• If anyone attacks you, they attack me.

3. Cutting the Covenant – Gen.15:1-9 – Jer. 34:18-19

• God’s covenant with Abram was a blood covenant.
• Life must be given & blood must be shed.

–        e.g. Henry Stanley

1. Dying to ourselves, giving up our rights
2. Beginning a new walk with covenant partner

4. Hands & Mixing of Blood

• Intermingling of blood – our lives become one.

5. Exchange of Names

• The ‘H” from YHWH was incorporated

–        e.g. Abram – became AbraHam

–        sarai – became saraH

• And God takes Abraham’s name: “the God of Abraham…”

6. Make a Scar

• Scar will bare witness to the covenant
• Circumcision: Gen.17

7. Giving Covenant Terms

to be discussed next week

8.       Eat the memorial meal

–        Communion

–        I’m in you and you are in me.

9. Plant a Memorial

• If you agree to abide by the covenant, then…
• God’s identity becomes your identity
• God’s strength becomes your strength
• Your enemies would become God’s enemies
• God’s pronouncements of blessings and curses apply to you, too.

Paul who is in prison and in chains writes this letter because of his care and concern for the Christians in Philippi (if anyone had a right to complain it was Paul because he was in prison).

Phil. 2:2-3 he encourages us to be of one heart , one mind and one spirit & purpose in being UNITED with CHRIST.

V. 3 – we should do NOTHING out of selfish ambition or vain conceit – but in HUMILITY consider others better than ourselves.

• So let’s look for the good in people. See them as Christ sees them. See their God given potential and gifts.

v.4 – Each of us should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

•  This includes looking out for the needs of others – including students, migrants, refugees, the poor, the fatherless, widows, those who have had a tough time and have lacked certain good relationships.
•  Are we looking out for others, and not just ourselves?

 Paul is really dealing with the ISSUE OF PRIDE & SELFISHNESS (it looks like nothing much has changed in mankind over 2000 years).

 He then presents a strong case dealing with our ATTITUDES: which SHOULD BE THE SAME AS THAT OF CHRIST JESUS.

He goes onto describe some key features of Christ:

1. Jesus did not hang onto or grasp to his high position (even though he is God) a. in other words he LET GO OF HIS RIGHTS!!! He could have demanded so much as king, but chose instead to make himself NOTHING and become a SLAVE-SON.

2. He made himself NOTHING –

     a. this means no titles, no position, no degrees, no occupation, no middleclass or upper class or any class for that matter. (He was born in a manger)

3. He took the very nature of a servant –

    a. Jesus didn’t just SERVE people (including his brothers & sisters, God the Father etc) HE took the VERY NATURE OF A SERVANT

    b. Today it’s so hard to get certain people to serve others –their family, their church, their community, – we are all so busy and don’t have enough time… but Jesus did MORE than serve – he became A SERVANT (in nature) even though he was still the son of God.

c. IN fact he came to DIE for us.

 d. So if Jesus is our Master – and Jesus washed the feet of his disciples – he said NO SERVANT IS GREATER THAN his MASTER. How much more should we as FOLLOWERS and DISCIPLES Of Jesus CHRIST – go LOWER than our Master Jesus. WE should serve and wash the feet of each other. Are you greater than your master?

4. He HUMBLED HIMSELF and became obedient even to death on a cross:

    a. The KEY IS HUMILITY – Jesus set an example for us in ALL our DEALINGS – we should HUMBLE ourselves. ONLY THEN DID GOD exalt Jesus to the highest place and give him the name that is above every other name! What an awesome Servant-King, Master, Leader, friend and God we serve. Take some time out to examine yourself:

1. Check our pride and selfishness – are we just living for ourselves? Is our pride decreasing?

2. Check our attitude – IS IT THE SAME AS CHRIST who: a. Cared for others, loved people, healed people, shared life with everyone – including the despised & rejected? b. Served others – even washing the feet of his disciples?

3. Are you Serving God in any capacity? Are you serving in the House of God? If you are serving – have you taken the VERY NATURE OF A SERVANT? Do you have the very nature of a servant? In other words do you pick and choose what you want to serve in? Do you serve on your own terms – when you want, how you want, with who you want? How does that reconcile with the obedience that Jesus had?

4. Do you consider others better than yourself?

5. Are we living the humility that Christ had? Read Hebrews 5:7-8.

I spent all of last week in the class with Dr Ed Stetzer, a leader in the MISSIONAL CHURCH movement. We looked at the importance of the missio Dei (the mission of God) and how the church is an instrument that is called forth to partner with God on HIS MISSION to reach all the nations of the earth.  If we are truly going to be a Spirit led people who are ON GOD’S MISSION – then we must be people of PRAYER.

Every Missionary (that includes every Christian who lives on this earth) is called to a life of prayer that is Spirit filled and led. As a CHURCH ON MISSION with GOD- our churches need to be Houses of Prayer for all nations!

Accordingly there are some powerful principles we can learn from MOses encounter with God on the Mountain:

1) REVELATION and Mission should be birthed out of prayer and God’s word:

We see Moses in dailogue with God. Notice that God first makes a promise that His Presence will go with Moses and He would give Moses rest. Moses then immediately prays this promise: “If your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here…”  Moses repeats and prays the promise the God made to him in v.14!

In the same we must pray to understand the Lord’s Will and moreover we must understand the importance of God’s PRESENCE that went with Moses and the children of Israel.  

The word PRESENCE in Hebrew can literally be taken ”the FACE of GOD” – in a sense it is the same word that is used in the Deuteronomic blessing in Numbers 6, where the Priest would bless God’s people by declaring that “God will make his FACE TO SHINE UPON YOU.” Likewise, it si important to understand that God’s presence involves GOD”S FAVOR and BLESSING being Upon us.

This adds new insight into what is meant by SEEKING GOD’S PRESENCE and SEEKING HIS FACE!  In otherwords when we approach God in prayer we are to seek Him, but more than that we are to SEEK HIS FACE. When we look at someone’s face – we give that person our full attention and respect…. it is also a picture of exclusivity and intimacy. 

So when we being to understand God’s Presence – turning to seek His face, his favor and blessing – shining upon us – then we can have the confidence to do what he wants.

But Moses went a step futher.

2) Moses prayed “Show me your glory”:

This was a daring prayer of Moses – for no one could see the face of God and live.  So God hid Moses in the rock and caused  his goodness pass by Moses.  IN Exo. 34 – we see that Moses saw God’s glory – He saw the goodness and very CHARACTER (the essence) of GOD!

So when we pray don’t merely focus on claiming the promises of God which are in His word – PLEASE UNDERSTAND – that the center and basis of our FAITH MUST BE IN CHRIST ALONE – IN HIS CHARACTER AND GOODNESS!  many Christians claim scriptures as though it were some magic formula – yes they are promises and God does answer prayers. BUT LIKE MOSES – we need to understand that we need to seek our saviour – we need to seek God’s character and not merely the subject of what he has promised.  Our trust, our worship, our adoration, the subject of our prayer must be focused on Christ and WHO HE ESSENTIALLY IS!

Seek the GIVER not the GIFTS. More than that we will be TRANSFORMED WHEN WE BEGIN TO SEE WOH CHRIST IS. Like the apostle Paul I encourage all of us to pray: “I want to Know CHRIST, the powe rof his resurrection and the feloowship of sharing in his sufferings, becomign like him in his death. And so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Phil.3:10-11).

God bless all of you!

You are missionaries of the Most High God – so begin to live as missionaries!

ps Jono

M.A.R.C.H. ON!

 I also think it was great how the point was made that we cannot out give God. When we meditate on that we begin to realize that God is in fact a GENEROUS GOD – so if you really KNOW GOD and his character – you will become like Him – in generosity – God is a Blesser! And God doesn’t bless us just because we bless him, honor him, do good works… rather God blesses us because when we are generous- we become more like him (in nature & faith). And God LIKES PEOPLE WHO ARE LIKE HIM! (god loves cheerful givers).

 We cannot earn God’s blessing – everything he gives us because of his goodness and Grace. We cannot earn it – so even if we  tithe faithfully and we do not receive any financial blessings in return- Don’t get upset! God is Still Good!  I think the issue boils DOWN TO HAVING THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST – which in part entails BEING GENEROUS and being content.

Blessings

Ps Jono